The Kind, the Cruel, and the Psychotic
by AirGirl Phantom
Summary: [sequel to The Clueless, the Smart, and the Shocked] Valerie's starting to really think about the infomation she's gathered. Danny's still doomed. And now, somebody's gone missing... [angsty DxS] Complete!
1. Pay Attention

**A/N: **YES! I finally got it up! The first chapter of The Kind, the Cruel, and the Psychotic! YESSS! But, it's not that great of a chapter... Oh well... PLEASE READ! BTW, I won't be on the computer for about a week because my dad has to disconnect the internet for now... But I will be back! Enjoy the chappie!

**7/5/07 EDIT: **I fixed a small, stupid mistake. Before, I had Paulina in both chemistry AND history class at the same time! So I switched the chemistry one to Star.

* * *

Walk. 

Stop.

Curiosity.

Bend down.

Pick up.

Sound.

Look up.

Lights.

SCREECH.

Black.

* * *

_Two hours earlier_

Valerie left the lunchroom with a few bruises, but nothing more. She was pretty lucky. From the things she'd heard about on the news, some people nearly died from being run over by other people.

After brushing herself off, she immediately began to worry about Danny. Was he okay? Valerie longed to go find him and check on him, but then the bell rang for fifth period.

_Looks like we're still having class… _she concluded miserably. With a sigh, she retrieved her books from her locker and hurried to chemistry.

She entered the classroom and was instantly bombarded with myriad smells and sounds. Vinegar, sulfur… sizzling, popping… Chemistry was a rather lively subject.

Almost as much could be said about the students. While most of them detested other classes, they liked chemistry for two main reasons: One, it was easy to converse with fellow classmates and not get caught; two, many of them liked making things change and (in some cases) explode.

Valerie took her seat near the back of the classroom and placed her books under her chair. Chemistry didn't really interest her much for some reason. Well, not today, anyway. Her life had become rather eventful recently. She rested her chin in her hand and let her mind wander…

She didn't get far. Just as the teacher began to start the class, Valerie got onto the mindset of ghosts. More specifically, the ghost kid.

Valerie felt proud at her accomplishment regarding that particular problem in her life. She had figured out something about the ghost boy. Now she had leverage over him, and he didn't even know it!

Now what she had to do was find out who his human half was (that is, assuming he really _was _a ghost-human hybrid). Valerie analyzed all the information that she could gather about the ghost kid without questioning him: he was about her age, so he was probably a freshman or a sophomore. His hair was a bit messy, he was about her height… No one really came to mind yet.

What about his personality? _Well,_ Valerie supposed, _I think he's an arrogant show-off. _But, being the smart girl she was, she figured that he might not be like that as a human, or to other people. _Like Paulina, _she thought disgustedly. The aforementioned girl happened to be sitting right in front of her, and Valerie could see her doodling the ghost boy in her notebook.

_So… What else would help me figure out who he is? _Valerie wondered.

As Valerie kept thinking, the girl sitting next to her was beginning to mix chemicals according to what the teacher had ordered. Her voice interrupted the ghost hunter's train of thought.

"Hey, could you pass the (insert name of chemical)?"

Valerie's brain barely registered the request. Her mind was somewhere else, still thinking about the ghost kid. Valerie just grabbed the first bottle her hand touched and gave it to her without really thinking about it.

The other girl didn't really look at the bottle either, and just poured some of its contents into the beaker. Almost immediately, Valerie was shaken from her abstraction by a monstrous explosion. The ghost hunter instinctively shielded her face and closed her eyes; a millisecond later, she was splattered with a hot liquid that scalded part of her arms and shoulders.

Ignoring the stinging pain, she opened her eyes to see that the girl next to her had shared her fate. Her chin-length, light brown hair was singed at the ends, and small blisters were forming on her upper body where she'd been hit with the liquid.

"Everybody out!" Valerie heard the teacher yell. It was then that she noticed the thick smoke that was rapidly spreading around. The students (including Valerie) quickly evacuated the room, none of them having the desire to suffocate.

* * *

Danny was rather bemused as he walked to fifth period. The note he had found at lunch was somewhat intimidating, but he had no clue what it was supposed to mean. And the piece of black cloth he had found with it made even less sense. He didn't have any idea as to what it came from, or whether it had already been there before the incident. 

"Well, at least this loon got my name right," he said to himself sarcastically as he entered his History class.

But the note didn't concern him nearly as much as Valerie did. He would have to be especially careful with his ghost powers now that she knew the ghost boy was half human. That meant no more flying to school, like he had this morning, and no more going ghost unless it was absolutely necessary.

Danny made his way towards the back of the classroom, where he and Tucker usually sat for History (and for most other classes). Sam normally joined them, but she wasn't in this class with them.

As he walked, he marveled at the fact that he wasn't late; all around him, students were chatting and doing other non-school related things. Danny could hear bits of their conversations:

" – Invisobill is so amazing…" **(A/N**: cough_Paulina_cough)

" – stain will _never_ come out!"

"Hey, did you see what happened – "

"How did you do that?"

The half-ghost expected to see his friend Tucker doing one of two things: attempting to find a girl he hadn't asked out yet and ask her out, or fiddling with his PDA or some other tech toy. However, Danny's predictions turned out to be completely wrong. Tucker wasn't even there.

_Where could he be? _Danny wondered as the bell rang and everyone returned to their seats. Tucker usually wasn't late unless Danny was as well (due to a ghost).

The halfa figured that he would show up soon, and drearily began the bookwork assignment written on the board.

Five minutes… Danny still wasn't _too _concerned…

Ten minutes… Well… He'd been later than that…

Fifteen minutes… Okay, something was definitely wrong. Danny raised his hand.

"Let me guess," the teacher, Mr. Patalano, started in exasperation at seeing Danny's hand in the air. "You want to go to the bathroom?"

Danny couldn't really blame him (or any of his other teachers) for his annoyance. After all, he asked to leave class quite often. He had to whenever his ghost sense went off.

"Actually… uh… I want to go to the nurse. I don't feel very good," he requested. Danny figured that pretending to go to the bathroom wouldn't give him enough time to search for his friend.

Mr. Patalano sighed. "Yes, go ahead." The halfa got up quickly and departed from the room. He started walking rapidly through the hall, looking for Tucker as well as a good place to go ghost…

* * *

Once all the students were out of the smoke-filled room, the teacher, Mrs. Welch, took attendance to make sure they were all there. 

"Star?"

"Will that stuff stain my shirt?" came the response.

"She's here…" Mrs. Welch placed a check on the clipboard she was holding.

"Valerie?"

"…Here." She had myriad blisters on her arms, but was nevertheless present.

"Karli?"

"I'm right here," the short, bespectacled girl called. The ends of her hair were still smoking from that explosion.

"Sam?"

No response.

"Miss Manson, are you here?" she called a little louder. Still no response.

_Well, this can't be good… _Mrs. Welch thought, slightly worried. Where could the reclusive Goth have disappeared to?

"Miss Grey; Miss Tinyk! Come here please!" she summoned the two teens that were involved in the explosion. As they approached, the teacher noticed how odd they looked side-by-side; Valerie had a normal height, but Karli was about a head shorter than most other freshmen at Casper High. It was almost comical.

When they arrived, Mrs. Welch said to them, "Alright… I need you two ladies to go to the nurse and get those blisters attended to. And on the way to the nurse's office, I'd like you to keep a sharp eye out for Miss Manson."

"Why?" the shorter girl inquired. "Has she skipped class?"

"I don't know," the teacher replied. "Most likely. She's not here. So I'd like you to look for her. But make sure you _do _go to the nurse as well. Those are some pretty nasty burns."

"Okay," they both complied. Then Karli and Valerie turned and set off down the hall. Mrs. Welch watched them go, hoping that young Samantha hadn't gotten herself into trouble.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, I need HELP! Did you all see where it said "insert name of chemical here"? Well I need to know this: one chemical and another react interestingly, and one of those chemicals reacts explosively with another. PM me if you're good with chemicals!**

Review please!


	2. Short Tempers

**A/N: **OMG I am so sorry everyone! I didn't have access to the internet for two weeks, and then, it took me another week to finish the chapter due to lack of inspiration, and then I couldn' t upload it yesterday because my computer was screwing up and I"M REALLY SORRY! And the worst part is that this chapter isn't even that good, by my standards. The only good thing is the very beginning, I think...

Well, please read it anyway, and flame me if you want...

BTW... To the anonymous reviewer, "Person": Thanks very much for reviewing. As for who is the Kind one, you'll have to read to find out. And don't worry; I wouldn't abandon this story for all the money in the world.

To chapter two! Oh, and just to warn everybody, there's ONE mild swear word in this chapter, but I dashed it out. Please don't get offended.

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_

_After school…_

"_Hello, this is 911. What is your emergency?"_

"I – I just saw somebody get hit by a car… She's in bad shape. The driver of the car just got out and yelled at me to call 911…"

"_What's your location?"_

"I'm at the corner of Third Street and Oak Street."

"_An ambulance will be there shortly. Stay on the phone, and tell me when you hear the siren."_

"Uh… um… Okay, I think I can hear it…"

"_You can hang up now. Make sure the driver of the car stays out of the way so the nurses can get to the victim."_

"Alright. Thank you."

* * *

_Near the end of fifth period…_

After looking in every hallway and vacant room, Danny decided that he needed to go ghost to continue his search for Tucker. He did so in the nearest gender-appropriate bathroom, then phased through the roof of the school.

"If I were Tucker, where would I be?" the half-ghost wondered aloud as he floated in the air. "Then again, that's not the question to ask…" He figured his technology-loving friend hadn't skipped class purposely, or even willingly. What could've happened to him?

Danny couldn't think of any possibilities, so he just took a couple laps around the school and began searching nearby areas for Tucker.

Valerie and Karli walked down the hall side by side in complete silence. Neither knew the other very well, and there wasn't much to talk about anyway. They were also busy searching for any sign of Sam.

"… Do you know Sam well, by any chance?" Karli asked suddenly, slightly surprising Valerie.

"Well… We're not exactly friends, but… We've talked before," Valerie answered in a guarded manner.

"Would you have any idea where she might've gone? You know, based on her personality?" the shorter girl questioned.

"All I know is that she's a Goth… and I think she's vegetarian, too." The ghost hunter was getting curious. Where was Karli going with this?

"Do you think she would've willingly skipped class for entertainment, or for personal gain?"

"Maybe… I don't know. Then again, she's probably only done that, like, once or twice in her life."

"Do you think she'd be likely to skip the class for selfless reasons? Or what if she was kidnapped? Maybe by a ghost! This place is crawling with those things…"

That was where Valerie became completely lost. "What the heck? Where'd you get that idea from?"

"Heh heh… I guess my mind moves faster than my mouth," Karli replied with an apologetic grin. Then, her face turned serious as she spoke again: "But, really… What if she _has _been kidnapped?"

"… I guess, if we can't find her anywhere, that's a definite possibility," Valerie said grimly. Even though she and Sam had a bit of rivalry going on between them, Valerie would never stand for such action from a ghost. Kidnapping a human? That was outrageous!

While Valerie was speculating why a ghost would do something like that, the two teens passed a large window. Suddenly, the ghost hunter heard Karli speak.

"Hey, look, there's the ghost kid," she said calmly, as if commenting on the weather.

"What?" Valerie exclaimed. "Where?"

"He's down over on the football field, poking around the bleachers," she replied, looking sort of confused that Valerie had gotten so flustered like that.

Valerie immediately dashed to the window and gazed out to the field. Sure enough, there was the ghost boy, seemingly searching for something. _So… If he's human… Then he's cutting class right now! _Valerie thought. _There's a hint to his personality! _The ghost hunter made a mental note to focus on that later.

"Are you done gawking at the ghost kid yet?" Karli asked, a hint of impatience in her voice. "In case you forgot, we're supposed to be looking for Sam."

"Well… What if he was the ghost that took her? We could go out there and try to catch him, or something!" Valerie retorted.

"No, he wouldn't take Sam," the shorter girl said firmly.

"And what makes you so sure?" Valerie asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"…Because…" Karli started, stuttering slightly. "I think… He's not evil. I mean, has he captured anybody before? No."

"But he attacked the mayor!" the ghost hunter exclaimed, shocked that she could take the ghost boy's side on this.

"It looked a lot like a setup to me," Karli said with a look that plainly said _'end of discussion.'_

Valerie ignored the look. "How could you say it was a setup? The mayor yelled for help!"

"I… I don't have to explain myself to you, b----!" Karli exclaimed angrily.

The girl's temper rather surprised the ghost hunter at first. She hadn't expected it from someone so small and sweet looking as Karli. Then, she got over the initial shock and realized what Karli had just said.

"What did you just call me?" Valerie asked threateningly. Karli simply started walking down the hall, completely disregarding her. Valerie was tempted to go give the girl a piece of her mind, but figured it really wasn't worth it. She began walking down the hall as well; taking the first turn she came to so she wouldn't encounter the other girl. They hadn't been instructed to stay together, after all.

* * *

_In the nurse's office…_

"Alright, dear… You can go lay down now. I'll call your mother and tell her to come and pick you up," the nurse, Miss Bachert, said gently to a student who had just come to her office. He'd just thrown up in class, and his skin had a rather odd greenish tinge to it.

As she made her way to the phone, it began to ring. Miss Bachert picked it up.

"Hello, this is Miss Bachert."

"_Miss Bachert, it's Mr. Patalano. I was just wondering if Danny Fenton is with you, by any chance?"_

"No, he isn't. Why do you ask?"

"_About a half-hour ago, I sent him to you. He said he wasn't feeling well."_

"Well, I haven't seen him."

"_It looks like he's skipping class. Again."_

The nurse sighed. "I suppose you'd better call the principal and let her know."

"_Yep. Thanks. Bye."_

Miss Bachert hung up the phone and shook her head. She'd had that conversation at least a dozen times with various teachers about Danny Fenton. He had quite the habit of skipping class. And the strangest part was that when he came back, he would often have multiple bruises and scratches. Danny was either quite the daredevil, or there was something going on that he wasn't telling anyone…

* * *

**A/N: **Okay everyone... Remember the first part of the first chapter of this story? It went like this: 

_Walk. _

_Stop._

_Curiosity._

_Bend down._

_Pick up._

_Sound._

_Look up._

_Lights._

_SCREECH._

_Black._

If anyone can tell me exactly what happened during that part, you get a chpater dedication. Also, who can remember Karli's full name? Anybody?

Thanks for reading, and please review! I'll try to update by next week!


	3. Indec1pherable

**A/N: **Hello and welcome to chapter three! It's a bit late, but I think it'll be worth it. This is one of the longest chapters I've ever posted in my life! (sad, huh?) **Make sure you pay attention while you read. There are some MAJOR plot points in this chapter.**

Thanks to all who reviewed! And, without further ado, here is Chapter Three!

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* * *

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**Chapter Three**

Danny phased back into the school somewhat dejectedly, and without Tucker.

"Oh well… Hopefully, he'll turn up soon. I'll have to keep looking for him later," the half-ghost reassured himself as he reverted to his human form. Suddenly, he heard rapid footsteps coming closer and closer, and soon, some girl he didn't recognize came sprinting around the corner.

"Oh," she said breathlessly after spotting him, "it's you. I could've sworn I heard the ghost kid's voice."

"Nope, he's not – hold on… You know me? I don't know you," Danny replied, confused.

"Well then…" she said, walking up to him with a smile. Then, she started acting like she'd never seen him before. "Hi, my name's Karli. What's yours?"

_Okay, this kid is weird. _"I'm Danny," he introduced himself, shaking the hand she proffered.

"Nice to meet you, Danny. Now, are you sure that Phantom's not here?" she asked him seriously. "Because I just saw him out on the football field a couple minutes ago."

"Nope. I haven't seen any ghosts today." _I really have to start being more careful about who sees me… _Suddenly, Danny noticed something odd about the girl's question. She had called his ghostly alter ego "Phantom." That was odd, seeing as most people called him Invisobill, the ghost kid, or the ghost boy. _Well, I guess someone actually listened to me when I told them that my name isn't Invisobill._

"Okay then… Well, have you seen Sam? You know, the girl you hang out with?" Karli asked.

"No… Why?"

"Well, as far as I know, she's gone missing," the short girl replied.

"WHAT?" Danny exclaimed. Then, he lowered his voice as he said to himself, "Her too? Man, something has _got_ to be going on here…"

"What d'you mean, 'her too'? Is someone else missing?" Karli asked suspiciously. Apparently, he hadn't spoken quietly enough.

"Um… No?" Danny's attempt at a lie didn't seem to convince her, judging by her skeptical face. He sighed. "Okay, okay. My friend Tucker's missing too."

"Hm… This is very odd, isn't it? That, of all people, _your_ two best friends have disappeared?" Karli wondered. "Oh well, that's life! Full of seemingly well-planned coincidences…" With that, she smiled at him again, and walked away.

Danny raised an eyebrow. _Seemingly well-planned coincidences?_ What was that supposed to mean? Did she have something to do with their disappearances? Did she know something that he didn't? Or was she just another innocent bystander in this mystery?

Then, the bell rang.

"Crud!" Danny muttered under his breath. He sprinted down the hall, intent on getting to his next class on time, hoping that, just maybe, he wouldn't get busted for skipping class.

His hopes were dashed as the intercom system came online with a buzz of static. "Danny Fenton, if you are in the building, report to the office immediately. Danny Fenton, come to the office. Now."

He sighed. "Well, so much for lying low," he muttered, remembering Tucker's advice from the previous day. The half-ghost stopped running towards his class and headed for the principal's office, dreading what punishment he'd have to endure this time…

* * *

"Ah, Mr. Fenton!" said Principal Ishiyama as Danny walked through the doors of the office. "So glad you decided to join us!"

"Yes Danny; we're both so curious as to why you decided to cut class," said Mr. Lancer, who was the only other one there (besides Danny himself, of course). Neither the principal nor the teacher looked very happy.

"Well, I – " Danny stuttered, trying to think of a decent excuse. "I… I, uh, didn't feel good?"

"Then why didn't you go to the nurse?" Mr. Lancer questioned skeptically.

"Because… I, uh… am… scared of the nurse's office?" Danny answered, thinking of Tucker.

Principal Ishiyama raised an eyebrow. Danny could tell that she didn't believe him. "Well, Mr. Fenton, usually cutting class would result in a week's worth of detentions, but I think I'll let you just report to Mr. Lancer's detention instead," she said.

The half-ghost was surprised. He had skipped three-fourths of a class period, and didn't even get any extra detention for it? Something was up, and he didn't like it.

"And we _will_ be calling your parents," the principal added.

"Now, get to your class, Mr. Fenton," Lancer ordered. Danny walked out of the office, extremely suspicious.

* * *

_After school, in the ambulance…_

"Hey, I think she's waking up!" exclaimed one of the meds in the ambulance.

"Can you hear me?" another nurse said to the hitherto unconscious car crash victim, while leaning down so she wouldn't have to shout.

Without opening her eyes, the girl muttered, "Y-yes…"

"Good, good. Now, can you tell me your name? Or that of someone we can contact?" the same nurse questioned, taking advantage of the patient's consciousness. She mumbled something that no one could decipher.

"What was that?" the nurse said.

"Five… five… five," the patient said weakly. None of the three nurses knew what she was talking about. "One… two… two… one…" she finished, and then apparently fell unconscious again.

Suddenly, something clicked in the third nurse's brain. "I bet it's a phone number!" she exclaimed. "Call 555-1221! We might reach her family!"

The first nurse whipped out her cell phone and dialed the number immediately as the ambulance neared the hospital.

* * *

_At the end of sixth period..._

Sixth period passed in a blur for Danny. At one point, he was vaguely aware of Tucker and Sam's names being announced over the intercom, but he knew why. The school was alerting everyone that they were missing.

Danny was worried. He had no clue where they were. The half-ghost had thought and thought for the entire hour he was in class, and each idea he came up with was more unlikely than the last.

When the bell rang to signal the end of school, he trudged to detention. On the way there, he suddenly recalled Karli's words to him:

"_Hm… This is very odd, isn't it? That, of all people, _your_ two best friends have disappeared? Oh well, that's life! Full of seemingly well-planned coincidences…"_

Something about those words seemed significant to Danny. It was almost as if Karli was trying to hint at where they actually were… But how would she know in the first place?

Then, a piece of the puzzle fell into place. Of course it was strange that Danny's two friends had gone missing. He was probably the only kid in school with real enemies that were after him (for revenge or otherwise)! What if Tucker and Sam hadn't just gone missing? What if they had been kidnapped by a ghost?

It made perfect sense. One of his enemies could have taken them as bait to lure Danny into a trap. As he entered Mr. Lancer's classroom, the half-ghost decided that he would have to continue thinking this over while in detention. His thoughts were shattered, however, as the teacher, sitting at his desk, spoke to Danny.

"Danny, come in and have a seat," he said, gesturing to a chair that had been moved to a spot right in front of his desk.

_I don't like this… _Danny thought, remembering how suspicious the teacher and the principal had been back in the office. He sat in the indicated chair and glanced expectantly at Mr. Lancer, knowing that he had more to say.

"Now, I don't know whether your friend, Mr. Foley, has told you about my little chat with him yesterday, has he?"

Immediately, Danny paled. This was going to be a long, hard, treacherous conversation, if Tucker was to be believed. He hoped that his lying skills were up to par…

Danny decided to try and play dumb. "Well, actually, no he hasn't," he replied.

"Then I suppose I'd better show you the clip we're going to be discussing," Mr. Lancer said, turning to his computer. A few seconds later, Danny saw an image of himself standing outside the school on the screen. The teacher pressed a button, and the scene began to play.

_A determined look crossed Danny's face as a ring of light materialized around him. Then, a gravelly voice from off-screen said, "Ah, ah, ah! Careful! Secret identity, remember?" Danny looked straight into the camera, and with a small _pop_, the ring disappeared._

Mr. Lancer rewound the recording to the point where the ring was still around Danny's waist, and paused it there, leaving the image frozen on the screen.

"Care to tell me what that is, Mr. Fenton?" he asked, indicating the ring.

Danny shrugged. "I – I don't know… Maybe it's just a… uh… trick of the light? Or maybe it's some weird optical illusion?"

"Nice try, Fenton, but I'm not letting you go until I get some answers," Mr. Lancer said.

The half-ghost opened his mouth to reply, but then, his cell phone rang. Danny looked at the teacher, silently asking whether he could answer it or not.

Lancer sighed. "Go ahead. But you'd better be back."

The teen all but sprinted out into the hallway and answered his phone.

"Hello?"

"_Hi," _said a feminine voice that he didn't recognize. _"Is this 555-1221?"_

_

* * *

_

**A/N: HEEHEE! I feel so EVIL! Okay, mostly all of you figured out that someone got hit by a car. It was pretty obvious last chapter. **I'd like to congratulate **ur1crazedupfruitloop** because they got it right! ALMOST!

So, please R&R! If you want, you can guess what might happen next, and I MIGHT tell you if you're right or wrong!

Thanks for reading!


	4. Misplaced Aggression

**A/N: Hi everyone! Dang, I've been on a writing spree these past couple days! I already finished this chapter - and it's a week early! I'm posting it now because I love you all so very much! Thanks to everyone who has stuck with my story so far.**

**DUN DUN DUN! Everyone... This is the chapter you've all been waiting for... This is when we find out who gets hit by the car! YAY! So, here you go:**

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* * *

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**Chapter Four**

_In the middle of sixth period…_

However much she wanted to avoid her, Valerie knew that she would inevitably meet Karli at the nurse's office.

Valerie was already there when Karli came in. Strangely, it seemed like the shorter girl had completely forgotten about their argument, for she was wearing a rapturous grin on her face.

"What made you so cheery?" the ghost hunter asked bitterly. It would be quite a while before she would ever speak kindly to the other girl again.

"You don't want to know," Karli replied, still smiling. "It would just worsen your attitude."

"Whatever," Valerie muttered. This girl seriously confused her.

"So, I'm guessing you didn't find Sam, right?" Karli said, with no trace of hostility in her voice at all. It was like she had forgotten the whole dispute.

Valerie opened her mouth to reply, when the intercom came online and answered the slightly rhetorical question for her.

"Students of Casper High, this is your principal speaking. I have a very important announcement to make. Two freshmen have gone missing: Sam Manson and Tucker Foley. We're not sure whether they've simply skipped class, or whether they have been taken forcibly. Please keep an eye out for these students."

"Tucker's gone missing too?" Valerie questioned.

"Yeah. It's really strange, huh?" Karli replied. Then, the nurse came and attended to their burns. The two girls were both silent the entire time, only answering the nurse's few questions.

Just as Ms. Bachert finished with them, the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Karli and Valerie walked out of the nurse's office and to their lockers. As they headed out the door of the school they parted ways.

Valerie quickly found a spot away from prying eyes, and summoned her new ghost-hunting suit. She had no time for the bus today; she would fly home on her glider instead. Figuring out the ghost kid's identity was her number one priority.

Little did she know that someone else was in a hurry to get home as well…

* * *

"_Hi. Is this 555-1221?"_

"Um… Yes," Danny answered the woman who had just called his cell phone. "Why? Who are you?"

"_I'm Nurse Mendoso, from Amity Hospital," _she said. _"And to whom am I speaking?"_

"Uh… My name's Danny. Danny Fenton," the half-ghost replied. "Why did you call me?"

"_Well, right now, we're wheeling a young woman into the hospital. She was hit by a car on Oak Street," _Nurse Mendoso explained._ "She regained consciousness for a brief period in the ambulance, and muttered 555-1221. So we called."_

Danny gasped. Someone he knew… got hit by a car… He was torn between finding out who it was or just staying in the dark for the sake of his sanity. Danny made a quick decision, choosing the former possibility.

"W-what does sh-she look like?" he stuttered, his heart pounding in his chest. He involuntarily held his breath waiting for the answer.

"_Well, the only thing I can distinguish is that she's got long, red hair. Do you know anyone like that?"_

"Jazz," the half-ghost said hoarsely. "Oh… my… god…" Never had he said that in his life before. But right then, he felt it was the only thing that described this situation.

He wanted to deny it, to say that there could be dozens of other redheads in the city. But he knew that she was one of only three people who knew his cell number (not counting his parents).

"_Excuse me? Danny? Do you know who she is?"_

At first, Danny couldn't bring himself to answer; he was absolutely traumatized. Suddenly, a few seconds later, the sane part of his brain jerked into action.

"H-her name is Jasmine Fenton, she's my sister," Danny blurted out rapidly. "And I'm sure you know my parents, Jack and Maddie Fenton, they're ghost hunters." Now his mind was basically running on autopilot. He was saying the right things, but wasn't quite consciously doing so.

"_Yes, yes, I know them. Thank you for your help. Good – "_

Hearing that she was about to hang up, the other half of Danny's mind, the half that was panicking, took over.

"How is she? Please, please tell me she'll be alright! Please tell me she's not going to – "

"_Calm down. Your sister is in bad shape, but we'll do our best to help her. We're going to call your parents now. Goodbye." _She hung up the phone.

Danny hung up as well, just staring at the small device with an odd sort of smile on his face. First, it was Sam being all miserable. Then, Valerie had found out that the ghost kid was half human. Next, Sam and Tucker went missing. After that, Lancer started questioning him about his identity. And now, his sister had gotten hit by a car. What a glorious day.

As Danny was thinking about all this, he wondered if it was all just some sort of insane, cruel dream. Maybe none of it was real?

And then, it all sank in: it wasn't fake; it wasn't a joke. His secret, his friends, and his sister were all in jeopardy.

Danny's breaths become faster, and yet deeper as his whole body went into a state of panic. Soon, he felt rather light-headed, and his arms and legs were convulsing, causing him to fall to the floor. The last thing he saw before he passed out was the door to Lancer's classroom opening.

* * *

When Valerie got to her room, she immediately deactivated her suit and turned on her laptop, intent on doing more research about ghost hybrids. While she waited for her desktop to load, she converted her room to ghost hunting mode and worked out for a few minutes. It helped to pass the time.

Soon enough, the familiar collage of wanted posters was loaded, and Valerie opened the Internet explorer. For at least a half hour, she searched and searched, but found nothing else about ghost hybrids besides the one article she had read the day before.

Sighing, Valerie clicked the link that led to the "Theory: Ghost Hybrids" article. It was the only thing she had on the subject. She printed it out.

**(A/N: **Yes, I know she's on a laptop, but please work with me here people. Somehow, she printed it out. That's what's important.

Valerie reread the article, just to refresh her memory. That's when she spotted something that she knew hadn't been there the previous day:

**_A half-ghost's voice sounds almost the same in human and ghost modes. But, in ghost mode, it has a bit of an echo to it._**

_Strange,_ Valerie thought. _The author must have updated it. _Then the ghost hunter realized what she had just read. _So the ghost kid's voice stays the same, except for the echo as a ghost._

Valerie smiled at this new revelation. This article was incredibly helpful; it was almost like it was made just for her. _I wonder who wrote it?_

She looked carefully all over the pages in her hand, but saw no name. Intrigued, she went back to her laptop and searched for nearly ten minutes. No author. While still curious, Valerie pushed this oddity to the back of her mind so she could concentrate on her first priority: finding out the ghost kid's identity.

The ghost hunter searched around her room for a piece of paper and a pen. She then started to record the mental list about the ghost kid that she'd begun to form during school.

_He's about my age, 14 or 15. So he must be a freshman or sophomore._

_His hair is messy and he's about my height, if not an inch or two taller._

But what about his voice? She couldn't remember exactly what his voice sounded like. Valerie made a mental note to close her eyes the next time she met him so that she could concentrate on his voice.

She was frustrated, though, that he was so hard to figure out. "If only I could take this out on something!" she exclaimed. After fighting ghosts, beating up a pillow didn't really do it for her anymore.

"I AM THE BOX GHOST! BEWARE!"

Valerie jumped in surprise and looked out her window. And there on the ground, in all his overall-wearing glory, was the ultimate outlet for any and all misplaced aggression: the Box Ghost.

Smiling wickedly, Valerie activated her ghost-hunting suit. "He's always there when you need him," she said, jumping out the window to the ground. Then, she summoned her glider and pulled out an ecto-gun. "Time to kick some ghost butt!"

* * *

**A/N: WOO! **Wow, I feel so happy to finally reveal who got hit by the car. Tell me what you think! Please review, and voice any and all comments, concerns, and/or questions!

**POLL: Okay, everyone. How fast do you think Valerie should find out that Danny's the ghost kid? Here are your choices:**

**a. Danny finally breaks down and tells her.**

**b. Valerie finds out by herself in the next couple chapters.**

**c. Valerie doesn't find out for a really long time. (Like, until the third installment. Oh, yeah, I forgot, to mention, I think I'm going to make this a trilogy.)**

**d. Valerie never finds out.**

**e. Other (please specify).**

That's all! Thanks for reading, now please review!


	5. Questions

**A/N: Hey everyone! **Sorry about making you wait so long. This is a short and semi-important chapter. I hope you all like it!

...The stupid break things aren't working... Grr...

ILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNY

**Chapter Five**

When Danny awoke, the first thing he noticed was that he was laying on a cot in the nurse's office. Then, he realized that Mr. Lancer was sitting in a chair besides him, reading a book.

"What… what happened?" Danny inquired.

The teacher jumped slightly in surprise, and then answered. "I could ask you the same thing, Mr. Fenton. I found you unconscious right outside the door," he said. "Here's your cell phone, by the way."

At this, Danny suddenly remembered why he passed out. He felt the color drain from his face. "Mr. Lancer… I… Jazz got hit by a car!" the half-ghost blurted out.

"_Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm! _Danny, are you sure?" Lancer exclaimed.

"Y-yes, I'm sure. A nurse called my cell and told me, and – and…" he drifted off sadly, eyes glistening with tears that refused to be shed. "She said they're taking her to the hospital," he whispered. "I just don't know what to do!"

"Well, first we need to call your parents – " Lancer stood up purposefully.

Danny interrupted him. "No, the nurse said she would."

"Alright then, Mr. Fenton. Come with me; we're going to the hospital."

Danny nodded.

"Oh, and this will _not _be the end of our little interrogation session, Mr. Fenton. Just a heads up."

Barely listening, Danny followed the teacher out of the school, his legs feeling like marshmallows the whole way.

**_ILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNY_**

ZAP.

"Ow!"

"That's for being annoying!"

ZAP.

"Ah! Stop it!"

"That's for coming back again and again!"

ZAP.

"Ouch!"

"That's for attacking Danny this morning!"

At this, the Box Ghost turned around, while still flying away from his red-clad pursuer.

"Ah, but there you are mistaken! I did not besiege the halfa today!"

ZAP.

"Ow!"

"You liar! Danny said so! And what in the world is a halfa?"

Then, the ghost, still looking over his shoulder, came to an abrupt halt, facing towards the hunter. Valerie stopped as well to avoid a collision.

"Uh… BEWARE!" the Box Ghost exclaimed, glancing nervously at a point behind Valerie. As he flew downwards and phased through the ground, she turned around to see what had panicked him.

And she found herself face to face with Skulker.

**_ILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNY_**

Danny sat in the passenger seat of Mr. Lancer's car, thoughts racing through his head. Would Jazz be all right? Who had taken Sam and Tucker? How much did Lancer and Valerie know? Danny just wished he could be sure…

He looked out of the window at the dark, cloudy sky as naught but a single tear glided down his face. As if the heavens were sharing his pain, droplets of water began to fall.

Before he knew it, Danny and Mr. Lancer had arrived at the hospital. It looked rather foreboding to the half-ghost. He actually felt himself sympathizing somewhat with Tucker's phobia of hospitals. The thought of his friend's peculiar fear almost made Danny smile – almost, but not quite.

He silently followed his teacher through the doors of Amity Hospital, his feet dragging on the ground. As Mr. Lancer conversed with the receptionist in the lobby, Danny paced in a small circle a couple yards away. He didn't hear anything the two adults said; there was too much going on inside his head that was distracting him from the outside world.

Then, Danny heard Mr. Lancer speak to him. "Danny, come this way. Your sister is still in the ER, so you'll have to stay in the waiting room."

The half-ghost nodded his head, still not uttering a word. Walking behind Mr. Lancer, he wondered if his voice would stop functioning from disuse.

After what had felt like hours, Lancer led Danny into a room lined with chairs and tables piled high with magazines. The room was pretty bland: it was rectangular, with pale grayish-blue walls and slate-colored flooring. All the chairs were wooden with dark blue cushions.

Suddenly, Danny saw two brightly colored figures that stood out in the lackluster waiting room. One was orange and one was teal. They looked up at the newcomers, expressions of recognition crossing their faces.

"Danny!" his mother exclaimed, running to him and hugging him tightly. Her husband wasn't far behind, enveloping them both with his own arms. While his parents were still in their hazmat suits, both of them had their hoods down. After they released him, Danny noticed the tear streaks on their faces (more on his mom than his dad).

"Mr. and Mrs. Fenton," Lancer said in greeting.

"Hello Mr. Lancer," Maddie replied desolately. "You brought Danny here, then?"

"Yes I did."

"Thank you."

Mr. Lancer gave a sympathetic smile. "You're welcome. Now, I think I'll leave the three of you alone."

"Goodbye, Mr. Lancer," Maddie said as he walked out the door. Then she, Jack, and Danny all sat down on three adjacent chairs.

Finally, Danny found the will to speak. "So… How – how is she?"

There was at least a half-minute's silence before his dad answered him. "Well, son… We're not sure yet. Nobody's come to tell us."

"Oh. Okay." And so started the beginning of the longest wait Danny had ever been through in his life…

**_ILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNYILOVEDANNY_**

**A/N: **So, whaddaya think? I hope it wasn't too boring. I'll have my update by the 26th or 29th at the latest. R&R Please!


	6. The Pros and Cons of Revelation

**A/N: YES! My longest chapter yet! Over 1,700 words! Wh00t! **It's a couple days late, but I believe it'll be worth it. There are **3 major plot points** in this chapter, and quite a bit of foreshadowing. The only thing I find a bit weak is in the hospital. Please keep in mind that I don't know exactly what goes on, and that I've never had a relative or friend get hit by a car. So I have no idea what it's like. Please have mercy! Lol... Also keep in mind that **I suck horribly at action scenes**.

So, it's on with the chapter!

* * *

**Chapter Six**

"You!" Valerie exclaimed, immediately recognizing the massive, armored ghost in front of her. How could she not? After all, he had chained her to the ghost kid and hunted them both in the Ghost Zone.

"Me," Skulker mocked her, shooting a half-dozen missiles from his arm. Valerie nimbly dodged them all and retaliated with a few blasts from an ecto-gun. While doing so, she marveled at how much easier it was to fight in her new suit. It was almost as if it knew her moves even before she did!

But however powerful she was, Skulker eventually gained the upper hand. While retreat was one of her least favorite options, Valerie was too tired to continue battling. Pressing a button on her jet sled, she zoomed away at top speed, soon ditching the ghost in a dark alleyway on the other side of town.

Then, she deactivated her suit. As quickly as she could, she made her way to her apartment complex using back streets and alleys. She met no ghosts, luckily.

_Then again, _Valerie thought as she entered her room, _I wouldn't mind kicking the Box Ghost's butt a few more times…_

Thinking of the Box Ghost reminded her of the strange name that he had called Danny: halfa. What was that supposed to mean? Maybe it was some sort of codename or something… But why would a ghost have a special name for Danny, of all people?

Valerie sighed in annoyance. Why did everything elude her now? How could she not figure out what was so special about one of her good friends that ghosts knew him? And how could she not spot a guy who was half a ghost and half a human in her own school?

Suddenly, Valerie's thoughts screeched to a halt. _Half a ghost and half a human… _she repeated in her head. _Why is that so familiar? Wait a minute… Half a ghost… Halfa… _They sounded a lot alike. What if halfa was some other name for a ghost-human hybrid?

_Wait… But if that's true… _Valerie began, coming to a startling possible conclusion: _Then that would mean that Danny's the ghost hybrid…_

And then she laughed. She laughed so hard (and yet so falsely), that she fell back on her bed, clutching her sides. _Danny? The ghost kid? Yeah right!_ she thought. And she just laughed more.

Soon enough she stopped, and began to think about it in a sane, logic way. _First off, I might be wrong and halfa is _not _a name for a ghost hybrid. Secondly, if Danny really was the ghost kid, I think that I would've noticed a while ago._

Then she grabbed the sheet of notes she had begun to make before the Box Ghost had shown up. Valerie knew that the ghost kid was about her age and height, and had messy hair. _That does sound a lot like Danny…_

Suddenly, Valerie had an idea. She would make two lists: one of reasons why Danny could be the ghost kid, and one of reasons why he couldn't. Then, she could compare them and decide what was right.

Immediately, she retrieved two more sheets of paper and began to think…

* * *

"Mr. and Mrs. Fenton?" 

The two mentioned people looked up at the sound of their names. Strangely, Danny recognized that voice. He looked up as well to see that a brunette nurse with blue eyes had entered the room.

_Finally! _Danny thought._ We've been waiting for at least three hours…_

"Ah! And you must be Danny," she said to him as she walked over. "I'm Nurse Mendoso, the one who called you." She extended a hand and Danny shook it, not able to make himself smile in greeting. After shaking hands with his parents, she took a seat in a nearby chair, facing the three of them with a serious face.

"How is she?" Maddie said softly, almost whispering.

"Well, I might as well fill you in on the initial damage first…" the nurse began. She took a deep breath. "In the ambulance, her right arm and leg had multiple fractures, and a few of her ribs were broken. Her right hip was shattered into almost a half dozen pieces, her skull was cracked slightly, and part of her foot has been crushed."

Danny gulped. That was a pretty long list. "Will she be alright?" he asked warily.

"She'll live, if that's what you mean. We've fixed up a few of the fractures in her leg. She'll probably be in a wheelchair for a couple weeks after she gets out of the hospital," Nurse Mendoso informed then.

The half-ghost breathed a sigh of slight relief. Jazz was going to be okay!

"And… How long will Jazz be here?" asked Jack.

"It depends on how the next couple procedures go and how fast she recovers. I'd guess between one and two weeks. Maybe longer."

"When will we be able to see her?" Maddie questioned.

"Probably tomorrow, if you want."

"Alright. Thank you," she said.

Nurse Mendoso got up and turned to leave, then faced Danny again. "By the way, Danny, your sister was conscious again for a little while right before we entered the ER. She asked me to give you this." She pulled a crumpled, bloodstained paper out of her pocket, gave it to him, and walked away.

Curiously, Danny unfurled the paper. To his surprise, his name was at the top. Well, one of them, anyway…

_Danny Phantom – _

_Why, hello there! My name is – oh, wait, I'm not supposed to say! How are you doing? Well, it's not like I care! Guess what? I've had enough of hearing about the ghost boy saving the day, so I'm going to give you twelve hours to run to the remotest place you can think of and never come back! If you don't do so, I'll track down your greatest weakness! And then, I'll make you run away anyways! Doesn't that sound great?_

_There will be no mercy._

_Signed,_

_No One In Particular_

"What does it say, Danny?"

At first, the half-ghost was a bit too shocked to reply to the question. _Whoever wrote that note must be some sort of psycho… _he thought. _Why would Jazz have this?_ Then, his mom's question finally registered in his brain.

"Uh… Nothing, mom. It's nothing," he lied. He couldn't let his parents know that it was a note addressed to Danny Phantom. It could give away his secret. "Just a blank piece of paper."

And for once, neither of his parents seemed suspicious of his lie. He supposed there was too much on their minds to be thinking about something so trivial as a piece of paper…

Danny reread the note, then shoved it into his pocket. Suddenly, he felt his stomach growl quietly. The half-ghost glanced at his watch. _Whoa! It's already six-thirty!_

His parents seemed to have noticed his actions and heard the noise from his hungry stomach. "Danny, you can go and get something to eat if you want," Maddie said.

"How about we all go?" his dad said. "This chair is killing my back." He stood up, and immediately, a loud cracking sound was heard. "Ah, that's better!"

Danny could've sworn he saw his mom's eye twitch.

* * *

Valerie set her pen to the paper and wrote at the top, "Reasons Why Danny Can Be the Ghost Kid." To her great displeasure, ideas flooded her head at once. She found herself writing reason after reason why her friend could be half-ghost, eventually ending at nine. She looked them over carefully to make sure the logic was sound. 

_-He is the same height and age as the ghost kid._

_-He has the same hairstyle as the ghost kid._

Valerie had already established the fact that those reasons were true.

_-He has the same color backpack as the ghost kid._

She had noticed this during a fight with the ghost kid before school. At that time, she hadn't known why he had carried a purple backpack. But now, she did.

_-He's never around when the ghost kid is._

_-He's always running off somewhere, and whenever he does, a ghost comes._

Danny always left at the most random times. And after he was gone, the ghost kid (and often, other ghosts) would show up somewhere. Danny never returned until the ghost kid left.

_-He's secretive about a lot of stuff, including places he's been and things he does._

This reason was in the article. It slightly saddened Valerie that she had never realized just how many things Danny didn't tell her. Sure, she knew his bowling average, his dream job, and lots of other stuff, but he still hid some things from her. She could tell now.

_-Sometimes, he carries a Fenton Thermos. He might've stolen it though._

Valerie had seen the ghost kid sucking up ghosts in a Fenton Thermos. She could recognize the ghost-catching device because during the enormous ghost invasion, her father had worked with the Fentons. So, unless the ghost kid had stolen it, then Danny had probably gotten one from his parents.

_-Sam and Tucker are almost always nearby whenever the ghost kid is there._

It was possible that the ghost kid was someone else who was friends with Sam and Tucker, but not probable. Them and Danny stuck together and had almost no other friends.

_-When my suit was taken over by a ghost, it went after Danny._

Well, she was pretty sure it was a ghost anyway. And the only reason a ghost would go after Danny was if he was of some importance to it.

Sighing deeply, Valerie moved on to the next list: "Reasons Why Danny Can't Be the Ghost Kid." It took her almost a full minute to come up with the first reason. This frightened Valerie.

_-Danny is pretty shy, and the ghost kid isn't._

Okay, that was somewhat decent. After all, it would be pretty hard for the ghost kid to choreograph two different personalities.

_-He doesn't seem like the kind of person who holds such immense power._

Wasn't that basically the same as the last one?

_-There's no way he could've kept a huge secret like that from me…_

After writing that, Valerie broke down and cried. It was something she hadn't done in years; she couldn't believe it. But right before her eyes, the paper became dotted with tears.

_No! There's no way! It can't be true!_ Valerie thought desperately. _Danny just _can't _be the ghost kid! How could he hide something like that from me? Why?_

Now she was confused. She had planned to confront the ghost kid's human form and stop him once and for all. But how could she do that to Danny, her friend?

_What am I going to do? _she wondered. Just as she was weighing the question in her mind, her cell phone rang. She opened it and checked her caller I.D. It read "555-1221." _Danny._

* * *

**A/N: Muahahahahaha... **I bet you all LOVED that, didn't you? Man, it was really fun writing that note! And it wasn't that hard either, seeing as I am quite crazy... MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Thanks for reading, now please review and tell me what you think!

**IMPORTANT: **I'll be starting school on August 30th. I'm not going into high school, but it's going to be pretty hard. I'm going into a special eighth grade class called SOS (success oriented students). I'm probably going to have a lot of work to do, and I'm going to try and stop my habit of procrastination. This class is composed of the top twenty-four students in our year, so I'll really have to be my best. **Updates may come slower than they usually do, but I'll try to update about two times per month.**


	7. Rage Dulls the Senses

**A/N: Hi everyone! I can't believe how insanely early this update is! **Think of it as another gift to all of my awesome reviewers! Seriously, this chapter is over 10 days early. I didn't plan on updating until the 15th. But this chapter just poured from my head to my fingertips to the keyboard to the computer. I just couldn't stop writing!

**This is a very odd chapter. **Valerie may or may not be OOC, but emotions do that to people. I'll talk more about that after the chapter.

But for now... Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

"Hi Danny," Valerie answered her phone. She tried as hard as she could to keep her voice normal so he wouldn't ask questions.

"_Hey Val. How'd you know – oh, wait. Caller I.D., right?"_

"Yeah. So, what's up?" Valerie asked. It took all of her skill with deceit to act like nothing was wrong with her. Danny's voice was just so… normal. If all her evidence was correct, and he was the ghost boy… well, he was pretty darn good at keeping a secret.

"_Well, I just wanted to hear a friendly voice, I guess. There's a lot of tension and junk going around my place today."_ Danny sounded a bit worried, and tired too. It was no wonder she hadn't figured out who he was before. He and the ghost kid were almost polar opposites.

"Why? What happened?" Valerie asked, this time genuinely curious.

"_Um – Jazz, she… Well, you can just turn on the news."_ And so she did.

-----TV-----

"Hello, Amity Park, this is Tiffany Snow with tonight's top story. This afternoon, young Jasmine Fenton, daughter of local ghost hunters Jack and Maddie Fenton, was hospitalized after being slammed by a car on Oak Street. Nurses say she has suffered some serious injury, but should recover in the next two months or so.

"Luckily, it was not a hit-and-run accident. The driver of the car stayed at the site of impact and got a passer-by to call 911. And now we go to Lance Thunder, who is standing with the two witnesses of the accident."

"Thank you, Tiffany. Here we are with the driver of the car, who refuses to show her face on camera or be named – " Here it showed a woman whose face was blurred out. " – and also with the young man who called emergency, 23-year-old Ryan Anders." Next to the woman was a man with brown hair and light eyes. "So, tell us, Ryan, what happened before the accident?"

The young man took a deep breath before answering. "Well, I was walking down Third Street, on the way to the park. I turned onto Oak Street and saw a teenaged girl kneeling in the middle of the road. She picked up a little piece of paper and looked at it. Suddenly, a car started coming towards her. I was about to yell out, but… well, you know…" he drifted off, then continued. "I was just staring at the scene for a few seconds, completely dumbfounded. Then I heard the driver screaming at me to call 911, so I did."

"Amazing," said Lance Thunder, clearly not amazed at all. "Now we'll hear what the driver of the car has to say."

"I – I didn't mean to hit the poor girl!" the woman exclaimed, nearly in hysterics. Apparently, she was pretty traumatized at what she had done. "It was an accident!" With that, she ran off screen. No one made an effort to bring her back.

"Well, I suppose that's it then. Wishing to be anywhere but here, this is Lance Thunder. Back to you, Tiff."

-----End TV-----

Valerie switched off the television, gaping at it. "Danny, I – I'm so sorry! I – " Then, she remembered exactly who she was talking to: the ghost kid. This was the boy who had been her greatest adversary ever since he and his stupid dog had ruined her life!

And yet, it was the guy who she adored more than any other; the sweetest kid she had ever met. Her mind was befuddled; nothing made any sense! How could her best friend be her worst enemy? She felt like breaking down and confessing to Danny that she knew about him… Or maybe she should confront him like she had planned? Or maybe she could just keep it a secret, and use it as an advantage over him? She just didn't know. Valerie wanted to pummel him for being the ghost kid, yet wanted to hug him for being Danny.

_But he lied to me, _she thought. _That's all he did. He could've told me the truth. I mean, we were practically going out for a few days; we were closer than close! But he still didn't trust me. _Valerie found her anger starting to overtake all other emotions, like it often did. When she got mad, she always made rash decisions. On the other hand, her anger helped her ignore her feelings of sadness, loss, and confusion.

"Thanks Val… I just wish I could've done something, you know?" Danny said, bringing Valerie back to reality. "Oh well… What's done is done, I guess."

There were a few minutes of silence after that. During that time, Valerie felt her anger rising against her will. She soon saw only everything bad that Danny had ever done, and loathed him for it. She could practically see red.

"Danny," she began, trying as hard as possible to keep herself from screaming into the phone, "we need to talk. In person. Now."

Valerie could hear the confusion in his voice when he replied. "Um… Alright. Where do you want to meet?"

"I don't know… Somewhere no one can overhear us… You know what? Just come over here. I just need to get this over with fast."

"Well… Okay. I'll see ya in a few." With that, Danny hung up, as did Valerie. The ghost hunter sat on her bed and waited, seething with abhorrence and anger, for what could be the toughest conversation in her fourteen years.

* * *

Danny was soaring through the sky, not caring that he was getting soaked to the bone by the torrents of water falling down, or that lightning was sparking through the clouds barely a mile above him. He was focused on reaching Valerie's apartment as fast as possible. 

When she had said that she needed to talk to him, Danny could immediately sense that something was wrong. Her voice seemed forcibly normal, as if some other emotion was burning to get out. That alone screamed "urgency" to him. And then there was the fact that Valerie confirmed his interpretation only seconds after he had thought of it.

As he reached his destination, there were so many things going through his head that the walls of his personal world were starting to crack. It was as if only one more disastrous occurrence would shatter them…

Danny phased through the roof of the apartment complex, landing in the hall right outside of Valerie's door. He switched to his human appearance and knocked at the door.

Almost immediately, Valerie opened it, grabbed his wrist, and practically dragged him into her room. As soon as they were both in, she closed the door and turned to face him. She began to speak; there was no greeting, and no prelude. In fact, there wasn't even any kindness.

"How could you?" she exclaimed. She seemed… angry.

"Well, hello to you too. But what are you talking about?" Danny replied, slightly annoyed at the seemingly unprovoked hostility, yet still somewhat friendly.

"You know what I'm talking about, **Danny Phantom**!" Valerie said.

The half-ghost gasped, pale as chalk and eyes widened. _She… she knows? _His mind just couldn't grasp that concept. She knew that he was part ghost… that he was the ghost kid… and she was… angry? All of his worst fears were coming to life.

"Yeah, that's right. I know all about your little secret," Valerie said in a cruel tone that reached all the way to Danny's heart and hammered nails into it. "So, how did you become half-ghost? How long have you been hiding this from me?" He opened his mouth to reply, and to try and calm her, but she kept going. "Wait, no, don't answer me. You'll just lie, like you have been since we became friends!"

"Valerie, please," Danny exclaimed, finally able to say his piece. "I know that I've lied to you, but it wasn't without reason. I was afraid that, if you knew that I was the same ghost you hunt, you wouldn't like my human side either."

"HA! Another lie!" Now it seemed that rage had taken over the hunter completely, obscuring her common sense. "You've been terrorizing Amity Park for nearly a year now, and I won't stand for it any longer!" She dashed across the room and grabbed a rather large ecto-gun, pointing it at him. "You're going down, Phantom!"

This action and statement tore Danny's heart out and squashed it flat. He couldn't find any words to say. Neither could he summon the will to move, no matter how many times his brain screamed at him. Danny simply stared at the ghost hunter; into her eyes that he remembered as warm and inviting (if not somewhat judgmental), but were now frosty and cruel. He was deaf to the sound of the ecto-gun charging, and he was blind to the bright pink substance that shot him out the open window. He was mute to the scream of fright that wanted to come out, and he was numb to the pain of hitting the sidewalk two stories below.

* * *

**A/N: **Wh00t! Yes, another chapter finished!

Heehee, I feel so evil... I might as well let you guys know that this story is coming to a close, but there WILL be a third installment. I predict only about one or two chapters left for The Kind, the Cruel, and the Psychotic.

So... did anyone think that Val was way OOC? Well, she was, but it was only because her immense rage mutated her common sense and character beyond recognition. Just tell me if you think I went way overboard. Oh, and for you people out there who are like, "What? No, Valerie you idiot! How could you do that to Danny!" Well, let's just see that she saw the error of her ways... Eventually...

My favorite part of this chapter were the last two sentences. I'm so proud of them! D Hey, if anyone has a fave part of this story or CSS, tell me. I'd like to know.

Wow, this is a long A/N. I should probably shut up now! Oh, by the way everyone, SOS is going good! Unfortunately, I'm going to be loaded down with work starting Tuesday...

Oh wait, there's one more thing I have to say! Last night, I read this chapter to my little sister, Michelle, and she kept cracking jokes! I don't know how she could, but she did! The funniest one was when I read her the part where Val said, "You know what I'm talking about, **Danny Phantom!**" And then Michelle pretended to be Danny and said, "Oh no you didn't!" ROTFLMAO!

Alright, I'll stop babbling like an idiot. **Thanks for reading, now please review!**


	8. Realization Sucks

**A/N: Hi everybody! **Thanks to all my awesome reviewers! Just because I feel happy today, I'm going to dedicate this chapter to all of you! "All of you" includes: stormrider7, the last kiwi, weirdIT, Writer's-BlockDP, Bob Zox, Ghostboy814, Kirstyn.T, and phantomshadowdragon. Those are all the people who reviewed chapter seven.

So... I bet you're all wondering what happened to Danny... and you know what? At the end of this chapter, you'll be wondering the same thing, plus more! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Sorry, I'm hyper right now. **Warning: **There is one swearword and two **MINOR** references to religion in this chapter. Here ya go!

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**Chapter Eight**

When boiling a pot of water, it's necessary to have a heat source of some sort. Only then can the water boil. But what happens when you take away that source of heat?

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Valerie just stood there after she had shot him, an angry expression frozen on her face. Ever so slowly, she lowered the ecto-gun and let it drop to the floor with a _thump_.

She had been so angry at Danny for being the ghost kid, her enemy, that she had taken it out on him in the worst possible way: violence. That had somewhat satisfied her need to vent, thereby draining her of the irrational part of her anger. It was only then that she began to comprehend what was going on.

The ghost hunter walked across her room to the window through which Danny had fallen less than a minute before. She stuck her head out and searched around for the half-ghost, soon finding him sprawled on the sidewalk, seemingly unconscious.

With most of her fury gone, her confusion returned to her. Her mind just could not understand what she was seeing. So, she pulled her head back into her room (her hair was now somewhat wet from the rain), closed her eyes, and took a few deep breaths, calming herself and attempting to sort out the mess. Then, she looked out the window again. This time, she realized what had happened; she realized what she had just done.

Her composure flew out the window faster than Danny had.

"D-danny? I… I… holy s--t," she croaked, barely able to find her voice. All of a sudden, she felt rather dizzy. Valerie wavered slightly before collapsing to the floor and promptly fainting.

* * *

It was a bit past seven-thirty when the news came on with a story that caught my eye. That rarely happened unless it had to do with Danny Phantom; he fascinated me, so I liked seeing what he was up to. Then again, I suppose that the report on TV wasn't actually unrelated to Phantom. 

Apparently, Jazz Fenton had been hit by a car that afternoon, and she was in the hospital. I felt sorry for her family, especially Danny. I'd barely ever spoken to him, but I was weirdly gravitated to him; never close enough for him to notice I was there, but close enough for me to get to know him a bit… He was a unique person. Even though his grades suggested otherwise, he was actually a very complex guy… And he was good at keeping secrets…

While I was reminiscing, I heard Lance Thunder mention that the driver of the car that hit Jazz didn't want their identity revealed, and I turned my full attention back to the report. I saw that the driver was a woman. Although the camera blurred out her face, I could see that she had shoulder-length, light brown hair, and she was wearing a light blue t-shirt and a long, flowing skirt with pink and blue flowers. I could've sworn I recognized that skirt.

Suddenly, I heard her speak: "I – I didn't mean to hit the poor girl! It was an accident!" I recognized that voice…

"Mom?" I exclaimed in disbelief. My own mother had just hit Danny's sister with her car? There was no mistaking her voice.

_Good lord, I'm glad she didn't show her face on the camera! _I thought. If she had, my friends might've recognized her, and big stuff like that didn't just stay within a group of friends. If someone had recognized my mom, it would've been all over the school the next day. Even though she _had _hidden her identity, I felt like holing up in my room forever. And I did, but mostly because that's what I usually did anyway…

I just couldn't believe what I had just seen on TV. I figured I would visit the Fentons sometime the next day (you know, to show support and stuff like that). Maybe I would be able convince my mom to go with me, if she hadn't already.

I continued thinking about things while just staring at my computer. Then, the light sprinkle of rain outside turned into a downpour, and I closed my window. _I feel sorry for the suckers outside right now. Thank God I'm not one of them._

* * *

Danny laid on the ground for nearly fifteen minutes after falling from the window. Though his eyes were closed, he was conscious. He just didn't have the will to get up just yet; he was too lost in his mind. 

Valerie's reaction had shocked him. Sure, he had known that, sooner or later, she would find out about him, and that she would be upset with him, but he had been completely unprepared for anger of such magnitude. He hadn't expected her to get physical and actually harm him… He thought she would be able to accept him – **all** of him – eventually.

But he was proved wrong, as he usually was. _What in my fourteen years have I done to deserve this? _he thought sadly as he opened his eyes, vaguely directing his question to the sky; to any supreme being that might've had the answer. Nothing but more rain and another bolt of lightning flashing through the sky replied.

Then, Danny finally realized that he was lying in a puddle of rainwater, soaked and ice-cold. He attempted to sit up, but cried out in pain and fell back to the ground. All of his previous numbness to bodily hurt was gone, and pain flooded him. He was a mess, physically _and_ mentally.

Taking a deep breath, Danny tried to calm down. He focused solely on his effort to sit up, and prepared himself for the pain. Squeezing his eyes shut as his back and chest throbbed agonizingly, he finally managed to sit upright. He put one hand on the ground behind him for support. Then he could finally assess his injuries.

He was mostly sure that he hadn't broken any bones. That was good. On his chest, there was a slight burn from the ecto-gun. It wasn't bleeding, but it stung badly. With the hand that wasn't supporting him, Danny felt his back. He touched a sore spot and quickly drew his hand away. There was blood on his fingers. _I must've been hit so hard that I skidded along the ground. _It also seemed as if something ached _inside_ his back. _Maybe I pulled a muscle?_

Even in his thoughts, Danny danced around the fact that Valerie had done this to him. He refused to think about it, not wanting to break down while he was outside, in the rain, and vulnerable to ghost attacks. He needed to get home, or somewhere else safe, before he could worry about anything else.

Danny closed his eyes and prepared for more pain as he attempted to stand up. But, strangely, he felt no pain (well, no more than he felt already). Then, he found that he hadn't even moved.

_What? That's weird. I could've sworn that I tried to stand up. _Now he was slightly concerned. This time, he kept his eyes open as he attempted to bend his knee. And that's when he realized that he couldn't feel his legs.

* * *

**A/N: **I told you you'd still be wondering what happened to Danny! I feel so evil. Heehee.

And for the first time, I wrote a section in the first person POV. That's mostly so I could hide that person's identity. Although, for those people who can read between the lines, you might be able to get a small idea of who it might be... **Kirstyn.T, **I would expect you to be one of those people, seeing as I told you about the "watch from afar" thingy.

Hey, while I still have your attention... What do you guys think of Karli so far? I know you haven't seen much of her but... Does she seem believable? And do you think she's evil, good, or neither? I forgot who, but someone said that they wondered if Karli was "in cahoots with Vlad." Tell me what you think of her. Please.

And for you awesome readers STILL reading this nonsense... I got an Evanescence CD last Sunday. And every time I listen to the songs, I'm reminded of Sam. Isn't that weird? I don't know why... It's like there's something about her voice that sounds like Sam... I don't know.

Okay, I'll stop abusing the attention of my dedicated readers. I think this story will end up stretching to ten chapters. I'm trying to wrap it up, but I can't think of any way to do that yet... And I'm still thinking of a title for the sequel... Anywho, seeya later! Next chapter will be up within two weeks!


	9. Indecisive Savior

**A/N: YES! Finally! It's the chapter you've all been waiting for! **Sadly, this is the FINAL chapter of KCP. But the mystery person from last chapter is finally revealed, and a lot of other mysteries will be solved...

**Thank you **to stormrider7, aka Fungus, for helping me a bit with this chapter. THANK YOU!

BUT FIRST! **There are a few important things I want to mention. But, I'll mention them after the chapter. PLEASE READ!**

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**Chapter Nine**

_Thursday, May 4, 2006 9:34 pm_

_OMG, today was crazy! But I'll start from the beginning, even though the end was crazier._

_So, first off, there was an explosion in the chemistry lab this morning. My lab partner gave me the wrong chemical and I poured it into the mix anyway. There was a lot of smoke, and we both got a few burns from the liquid. Then Mrs. Welch sent me and Valerie to go look for Sam Manson, who had gone missing._

_While we were looking for her, we got in a fight, and I called her a b----. I wasn't actually angry with her, though. I just used anger to cover up another little slip of mine. I can't let Valerie know who Danny really is…_

_So, we split up. While I was walking, I heard Phantom's voice around the corner. I ran as fast as I could, but I didn't get to catch him in his ghost form. So, I ended up meeting Danny Fenton. And I had an actual conversation with him! Yay! I don't think I've ever really talked to him before… Anyway, I found out that his friend Tucker was missing too._

_I also found out another interesting fact about half-ghosts: Their voices sound the same in both human and ghost modes. So, you can imagine what I did as soon as school ended: I rushed home to update my article with the new information!_

_Okay, now this is the craziest part. I was watching the news, and I found out that Jazz Fenton (Danny's sister) had been hit by a car! And even more frightening: my mom was the one who did it! Oh crud, what if we have to pay the hospital bill? Or what if the Fentons sue us? What if she goes to friggin jail? Good God, WHY THE H3LL DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT BEFORE? Now I'm nervous._

_I'll be back with more news tomorrow…_

–_Karli

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_

Danny was terrified. Was he really… paralyzed? He hadn't thought that a two-story fall would have that effect. Sure, he knew he'd get badly hurt, but…

The half-ghost knew that if he was in fact paralyzed, he really shouldn't try to move, in case his spinal cord was badly damaged. But, if he didn't move, he would be vulnerable to his enemies.

_I wonder if I can still fly, _he thought. Still sitting up with one hand behind him, Danny tried turning into his ghost form. His effort quickly began to drain him of the little energy he had left, but nothing happened. He wasn't strong enough to go ghost.

Danny figured that his only other option was to try to crawl to safety. And since his legs were out of commission, he had to use just his arms. The prospect daunted him. It was a long way to his home from where he was, but he would have to do it.

Lying back down on the ground, Danny rolled onto his stomach. Then, he propped himself up on his hands. His legs were like deadweights, just hanging there, unable to do anything. And his back hurt like crazy; he felt a horrible pinching sensation somewhere near his spine.

As Danny slowly put his right hand forward, his head spun in agony. It only worsened when he put his other hand out and dragged the rest of his body along. And it really didn't help that he also had to concentrate on keeping his thoughts away from Valerie and her condemnation of him. The only thing keeping him going now was willpower, and he wasn't sure how long it would last.

* * *

Only a half hour after passing out, Valerie found herself on the floor of her bedroom, still feeling slightly dizzy. She slowly sat upright, putting a hand to her head and groaning softly. Her vision was a bit blurry, so she blinked her eyes a few times while standing up. Ironically, the first thing she saw clearly was the window through which she had shot Danny. 

"Oh God," she whispered as a few tears leaked from her eyes. "Why did I do that? Why?" Hesitantly, she headed over to the window and looked out for the third time that night. Initially, she couldn't see anyone. After all, it was still pouring. Who in their right minds would've been out at that time?

Then she spotted Danny. He was about half a block away from where he had fallen. From where Valerie was, Danny looked like a red, blue, and black, humanoid shape. It frightened her that she couldn't see the white of his shirt.

She just looked at him for a few minutes. He seemed to be slowly making his way down the sidewalk. For a moment, she admired his courage and strength for doing something like that. Then, she thought of who he was.

_But who _is_ he, exactly? _she pondered. She honestly wasn't sure. She didn't know whether she wanted to go and help him, or whether she wanted to let him suffer for all the strife he had caused her.

But what had he ever done to her, really? After all, whenever they fought, he expressed that he didn't want to hurt her. She had assumed he was lying, since he was a ghost, but maybe he actually meant it.

Valerie thought hard over the next minute, comparing all the good times and bad times she'd been through with Danny. Before she knew it, she was on her jet sled, racing to her friend. Sure, Danny was the ghost kid, but Valerie knew that she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she ever caused someone's death, especially if that person was one of her best friends.

Soon enough, she reached Danny. He really hadn't gotten very far. Strangely, she noticed, he seemed to be crawling using only his arms. And – Valerie cringed at this – he was _covered_ in blood.

"Danny!" she exclaimed as she touched down on the ground and deactivated her suit. "Danny, are you alright?"

At the sound of her voice, the half-ghost immediately dropped to the ground. "No… no…" he mumbled. "What are you going to do to me now?" His voice was laden with pain. Slowly, he turned over, onto his back, and looked up at her with eyes that were cold and hollow. That shocked Valerie. But what really scared her was his look of fear. He was terrified of her.

"Danny, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm so sorry…" she said, not completely sure of her statement. All she knew was she didn't want him to… die.

"No you're not. You hate me now. That's why you shot me," Danny contradicted her. Now Valerie was hearing an undertone of delusion in his voice. Whatever she had done to him… it must've hurt so much that it was driving him insane!

She tried to convince him that her intentions were friendly. "Danny, I just want to help you… Please – "

"Go away," Danny exclaimed suddenly. "You hate me. Stay… away…" With that, his eyes closed and he fell unconscious.

Tears flooded Valerie's eyes, but she determinedly held them back. Quickly re-activating her ghost-hunting suit, she picked up Danny and sped to the hospital on her jet sled. She hoped that it wasn't too late. _What have I done?

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_

When she finished writing in her journal, Karli laid down her pen and put the blue notebook away. While she loved typing on the computer (it was easier), she felt that it was safer to have her private thoughts written in a notebook. Her journal wasn't very old. She had gotten it the previous year as a birthday gift, and started to use it as a journal on her first day of high school. She wrote in it every few days.

Sighing, Karli changed into her pajamas. In the last couple of her days, life had gotten rather complicated; not just for herself, but for Danny as well. She still remembered the day she had found out who he was… After that day, she felt she could never appreciate a normal life more. Sure, it would be cool to have ghost powers like his, but to be Public Ghost Enemy number one? She didn't think she could handle it. Her temper would probably careen out of control at all the clueless people, and she'd attack them all out of anger.

But Danny never gave up. He kept protecting Amity Park, no matter how many people (and ghosts) opposed him. Karli respected him greatly for that. She couldn't understand why other citizens didn't.

_Eventually, they'll come around… _Karli thought, hoping she was right. She climbed into bed.

It was too bad she didn't know just how much more Danny's life was screwed up while she slept…

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**A/N: Whee! It's over! Sorry it took so long to update! Okay, now for the important parts:**

**1. **I'm not very good with legal stuff, so I'll have to do some research about it. If any of you has any idea about what would happen to Karli's mom in real life, let me know. And do the Fentons seem like the type that would sue Karli's mom? I'm not sure...

**2. **Okay, I know this is scary, but I'm having trouble writing my own character. But that's mostly because the only response I've gotten about her is from the last kiwi, who thinks she's evil (thanks for stating your opinion, the last kiwi!). Please, will someone give me some feedback on what you think of Karli.

**3. **Don't be completely sure that Valerie has completely forgiven Danny. She's still shocked and very confused. Also... sorry if my writing is kinda sucking a bit... this chapter has been really hard...

**Alright... Well, that's it for this story. Look out for the sequel, tentatively titled "The Clever, the Foolish, and the Broken". Thanks to everyone for sticking with me through this story! You've read it, so now, please review!**


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